2012 Barnstorming Tour Dates... Our 2012 Barnstorming Tour schedule is ready! We'll be visiting locations in Florida from January through March, and between then and late summer, we'll be spending time in many cities across the country. Check the schedule for information and to book flights.   See complete schedule here... Call us toll-free to find out more or book your flight today! 1-888-743-3311

Also see an excellent article in the Oct-Nov-Dec 2010 issue of "Follow Me," the publication of the Second Marine Division (it's a 15MB pdf file, so give it some time to download). And here's a follow-up article in the Oct-Nov-Dec 2011 issue of "Follow Me," with more information about History Flight's continued searche for the lost MIA graves on Tarawa.
 

In February, October, and November, we ran three MIA search trips to Tarawa, where over 500 US servicemen remain unaccounted for to this day. Our teams mapped numerous American and Japanese graves on the Betio, with a combination of ground-penetrating radar, magnetometry, and chemical soil analysis for the presence of human decompositional products, and we profiled these grave sites with "Buster" the world's most scientifically proven cadaver dog (click here to watch a video of Buster doing his thing). History Flight also conducted high-resolution aerial photography of the island with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). We also ran a full-time research effort on the island, identifying where numerous WWII soldiers' remains have been dug up (by accident) by the local population during construction projects. We then plotted all of these data on a high-resolution satellite map and surveyed all of the sites with a professional land surveyor who was able to record the precise location of the sites with decimeter accuracy.

History Flight worked closely with the DoD and members of the U.S. legislature who support the project. We delivered the data to the Deptartment of Defense at no cost to them. We also spent two weeks conducting a survey of the lagoon floor at Tarawa for the presence of American tanks, landing craft and LVTs that were lost during the invasion (in late November 1943). We found nine American landing craft and tanks on the lagoon floor and are presently investigating them for the possibility that the wrecks contain remains of American servicemen.

UAV over Tarawa Lagoon	Rick Smith under Tarawa Lagoon
Paul Schwimmer and Matt Benson on Tarawa Lagoon	American tank located underwater in Tarawa Lagoon
At Cemetery 25 with Jenny Sturm (center, with GPR), Dr. Chet Walker (right, with GPS), and a pig (lower left) to whom we were not introduced. Both here and at C30 (photo at right), American remains have been dug up by locals - by accident.	James Harrison scanning Cemetery 30 with GPR (Alternate caption: Indiana Jones and the Trash Heap of Doom).

Yes, you're right...those snow-capped peaks are not on Tarawa in the equatorial central Pacific.
But this handsome, hard-working, well traveled guy is Buster the cadaver dog.

History Flight funded hundreds of hours of research on WWII and Korean War MIAs at the U.S. National Archives, The Marine Corps Archives, and the Archives of the U.S. Air Force. We expanded our MIA search program by funding the 2011 BentProp Project MIA search expedition to search for American MIAs in Palau, and The Korean and Cold War POW/MIA Network. Check out their sites at BentProp.org and koreanwarpowmia.net.

History Flight also conducted three field searches in Europe for missing American aircrew and ground troops in the summer of 2011. Our search teams found a P-47D Thunderbolt, that was seen to crash into the ground without the MIA pilot having parachuted from his stricken plane.

This part from a crash site clearly identifies the wreck as a P-47D

History Flight also found a wrecked B-24 bomber whose pilot and copilot were not able to exit the plane as it went down and are still in the wreck.

  
This 50 cal machine gun and shell were excavated from the B-24 wreck.
The gun's serial number matches the aircraft whose pilots are still missing.

History Flight also found the crash site of a third multi-engine bomber that was seen to crash without the crew parachuting to safety.

This American handheld E6B navigational computer was recovered from the bomber wreck
and was likely in the possession of one of the pilots or the navigator when the aircraft hit the ground.

History Flight was also able to help put the remains of P-51 pilot LT James Des Jardins in the hands of the U.S. Army Mortuary Command after his body was dug up by the mayor of a town in Germany where the aircraft crashed in WWII. These cases and several infantry loss cases are currently the focus of continued investigation in 2012.

History Flight wishes to thank all the participants in these vital programs. We hope that everyone has a great Christmas and a wonderful new year.

Until they're home!

Members of the February 2011 History Flight Clandestine Grave Detection Team:

Front Row: Matt Benson, geophysicist; Kautebiri Kobuti, Kiribati national employed as an agent for History Flight; Buster, the world's most scientifically proven and tested cadaver dog who has detected graves over 100 years old; Paul Dostie, retired police detective and Buster's handler; Dr. Donald Allen, team veterinarian and author of "Tarawa the Aftermath."
Back Row: Keith Phillips, political affairs expert and founder of "Operation Homecoming;" Mark Noah, team historian, founder of History Flight, and author of "The Lost Graves of Tarawa;" James Harrison, geophysicist and expert in the recognition of uncasketed human remains with ground penetrating radar; Jennie Sturm, archaeologist, geophysicist, expert in clandestine grave detection; Dr. Chet Walker, archaeologist, geophysicist, expert in detection of clandestine graves with GPR, magnetometry and electromagnetic sensing; Marc Flagg, historian; Matt Holly, historian and dive expert. The photo was taken atop unrecovered Cemetery 27, which we found in 2008 and reprofiled in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Thinking of giving someone a gift of flight during the 2011 History Flight Summer Barnstorming Tour? It's not necessary for the recipient to be a pilot to have this kind of fun, but you'll definitely enjoy this story about a recipient who richly deserved it: